Yes, there is a specific training plan in NROL4W. It takes about 6 months to complete (more if you're lifting 2x a week rather than 3x). You can do most of the exercises at home with dumbbells and barbells. There are a few exercises that call for things like a cable machine or lat pull machine, but the book generally gives alternative exercises for home workouts. I think you would probably need a significantly wide range of dumbbells and a squat rack to get the full benefits of the program, but you would be able to make do with less than this, especially considering you're just starting out with weight training. (It won't tell you how much to lift, though; it'll tell you to lift as much as you personally can within the reps prescribed and with good form!)

I completely agree with krampus, though, that (especially as a beginner) whatever you do, you're going to get results if you stick with it.

philana I have been doing NROL at home. I have a set of weights that go up to 30 kg. I am in my last workouts of the stage 1, I am squatting 28 kg now and I can do it without a squat rack helping myself with the furniture at home with some difficulties. A squat rack and new weight plates are going to be my next purchases. But yes, you can do the exercises at home.

Even if you do not follow the NROL plan, the autor suggests doing exercises that work your body more as a whole than working separate small muscles. So for instance that would mean doing squats, deadlifts, push ups, lunges or planks, instead of bicep curls, triceps...

Reading about weight lifting in different sites what I have found is that there are like the 3 big exercises in weight lifting: squats, deadlifts and bench presses that you should master. Around those you can play around. I think when I finish the NROL plan I am going to concentrate on those 3 and include push ups, lunges, glute bridges, hip thrusts, planks, bulgarian squats and similar exercises to my routine along with mobility exercises and continue with yoga for stretching.

Today I didn't feel much like doing my lifting, but I talked myself into it by telling myself that I could add some back squats at the beginning of my workout. The NROL4W workouts hadn't called for back squats since January, but I miss them & wanted to see if I'd gained any strength on that front since then.

I was squatting 85 in January (8 reps)... today I did 3 sets of 5 reps at 115 pounds... and then I did 2 reps at my body weight (125) just for funsies. [To parallel. Yes, I know what parallel means. ] Woohoo! After that I was thrilled to continue my workout! The gym is closing for a week, so I'm going to take a much-deserved rest week. Grow, little muscles, grow!

Lifted at 8 am before eating anything on my period after a weekend of bad eating. Any or all of these factors could be the reason it was SO HARD, right?

Usually after eating "bad" my workouts are great, but it depends on how long I had been eating that way. One night, and the next morning I am A BEAST in the gym, but after a few days off plan (like when I'm on vacation) and my energy is in the toilet.

I would vote for early morning (if you're not a morning person / hadn't been up long / hadn't slept enough), no food (I could never lift on an empty stomach! oy!), and hormonal fluctuations as being factors. Don't know about bad eating--like JossFit, excess calorie consumption tends to give me a boost in my workouts.

Sometimes a workout just feels harder than usual. A little while back, I was looking forward to upping my deadlifts by 5 pounds, after a few workouts solidly at the same weight. But when I went to lift the weight I had easily been pulling the previous few workouts, it suddenly felt 10 pounds heavier than previously. I was bummed out. I had another couple of weakish workouts after that, for reasons I couldn't pin down. Then suddenly my strength shot way up. Who knows?

Hmm. I hope the "stall and whoosh" thing applies to lifting too, I almost cried today pulling the same weight I've been at for a week and a half. Glad to know I'm not alone!

sumire & carpediem - thanks for your replies, it made me decide to buy the book so it should be arriving anytime soon! I like that many people on here know it so I can come for questions, and for the bits that I can't do at home I could always add in some time in the gym with the book as my protection shield from all the guys looking at me silly. I can just wave it and say "look, I don't know what I am doing whats why I am using a book so don't laugh at me!" lol.

krampus: Strength gains will start to slow sooner or later. Maybe not yet. But eventually. The brain makes quick adaptations at first, and newbie gains mean you can build muscle more easily. It won't always be the case.

When you start lifting, you could go up, say, 10 pounds a week on lat pulls. But that obviously won't last forever--otherwise, in several months, you'd be pulling three times your bodyweight. We only wish it worked that way. Patience and time! You'll keep chugging forward.

philana: There's also an online forum dedicated to NROL4W. I've done some lurking there--a lot of useful info.

Don't worry about what other people think at the gym. I've done various stupid things there-- lost my balance, thwacked myself in the chin with a barbell, fallen off the treadmill, scratched my head over how to adjust equipment, etc. Nobody really cares, thankfully.

Well since this is where us Feathers chat about lifting I figured it would be a good place to post; I hit a PR yesterday on leg presses! 380 pounds plus the sled weight... 4 sets of 12 reps! Whoot!

(O)__(O) That's amazing!

Thanks, I was pretty happy with it

Anyone else have any recent accomplishments in the gym?

JossFit!! Omg!! Awesome!!

I'm feeling my weight training class last night. I didn't really add any weight (actually I had to use a bit less), but the instructor had us do different things. Feeling a little stiff from that which means tomorrow I will wake up sore. yay!

Does anyone else like waking up sore? Maybe I'm just weird

Nice!! Rock on!

I'm halfway through my rest/recovery week, and it is killing me! I'm dying to get back to my lifting.

Also yesterday I went clothes shopping and spent half my time in the dressing room flexing my arms in the mirror, haha.